Screening for More than Alcohol
You’re on your way back from a hockey game at the Hara Arena when you see flashing lights in your rear view mirror. Puzzled, you pull over, double-checking your speedometer to see how fast you were going. Surprisingly, the officer doesn’t mention your speed, but instead arrests you for suspicion of DUI!
You arrive at the police station fuming and demanding to be vindicated by a breath test. To your surprise, the officers order a urine sample, indicating that they believe you may be under the influence of some substance besides alcohol. The truth is that, though commonly associated with alcohol, a DUI can refer to driving under the influence of a variety of substances.
In Ohio, a urine sample will typically be used to screen for five controlled substances: marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, and PCP. Positive test results for any of these substances can be used as evidence in a DUI case against you. The urine test will not typically be used to screen for other drugs such as Benadryl or Prozac, though these drugs may also cause impairment while driving.
A Skilled DUI Defense Attorney Can Challenge Your Urine Test
If you tested positive during a DUI-related urine test, don’t panic. Officers may attempt to convince you to confess or reveal what types of medication you may be taking. It is important to remember that officers ask questions in order to collect evidence to be used against you. You have every right to refuse to answer their questions. The best thing to do is call Suhre & Associates DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyers and speak with an attorney skilled at contesting urine sample results.
Whether you are being accused of an alcohol or drug-related DUI, we can help. We are aware of the procedures and contributing factors that can affect a urine test. We can prepare your defense by determining weaknesses in the evidence presented by the prosecution, including mistakes in urine samples.
And, by the way, in the above example, if the officer didn’t have a reason to pull you over based on how you were driving, it is proof there was no probable cause and your whole case should be dismissed. Little points such as that are important.
Call Suhre & Associates DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyers at (937) 531-0435 to speak with a Dayton DUI Defense attorney that knows how to contest a positive urine sample.